LJ's Secret
by Salvatore Shan NW
Summary: What if L.J's books aren't fiction? What if they're real? What if Circle Daybreak is just trying to get readers to fall in love with it, before announcing that it exists? New characters, a secret Wild Power and another soulmate connection!
1. Soulmates

This isn't true okay? Some of it is, but about the books and Fran – it isn't. God, I wish vampires were real – but then, how do I know they aren't? The thing about the boyfriend – that's true. I live in England but it's set in America so I don't have to get all complicated about Daybreak HQ moving to England.

The plot is mine. I own: Fran, Hannah (myself), Chris, Emily, Lily, Katie, Daryl and Mitchell. Okay? If you want to use Fran in any of your stories, you can but I want to be asked first because:

1) He's mine (LOL)  
_And _  
2) I've wrote a story about Fran and I'm taking it to a publisher (it's finished!) Fingers crossed that they'll accept it, anyway. So he might be on here with a topic of his own.

Kate (Dark Angel's Blue Fire): I'm sorry if this is like your story, where Kaitlin falls into the books but nobody falls into a book in this one . I hope you like it! Sorry I haven't emailed you in a while but I'm kind of banned at the moment. My other email is: so I'll try and email you soon with that one By the way – are you on Hi5? I've been on there for months Later!

One more thing. It may sound like it has nothing to do with The Night World or that its just about kids that love it but honestly – read it, it will make sense in the end.

* * *

**L. J's Secret  
****Chapter One**

"So, what do I class myself as? Single? Taken?" I asked, turning on my two best friends. Emily shrugged and looked around at all the market stalls. She wasn't good with this kind of thing.  
Chris linked my arm and grinned, flashing his teeth. I couldn't help but give a wry smile back. Emily appeared on my left and linked my other arm, sighing and looking down at the blank screen of her mobile – waiting for her dad to call.  
"You've got to be single, Han! How long has it been since you talked to him?" Chris asked, staring at me under heavy eyelids. Sometimes, when his attention was switched to something else as well, he looked bored and I didn't know whether I should answer or not. "Well, uhm… 23rd… and today's date is-?" I began; thankfully Emily broke in with the day. "30th March,"  
"Right," I grimaced, trying to work out how long it had been since I'd heard last from my so-called 'boyfriend'. "35 days." I frowned and my eyes flashed with anger. "Five weeks." He wasn't _exactly_ my boyfriend. I'd never met him. An Internet relationship basically – and it had lasted seven months. Until my dad found out. And I found out that he'd lied to me.

"So, tell me again what he lied about?" Emily asked, reading my mind. She was staring, intently. She already knew, but I think she didn't exactly grasp it. God, I'd been so in love with this guy last month but now… things changed.  
"He told me he was going to _Dorcan_." I paused. _Dorcan_ was one of the other high schools in our town. My 'boyfriend' had told me he was moving down here, but things just didn't always add up. Sure, I'd talked to him on the phone – but sometimes things didn't make sense. I took a breath and shuffled my feet, stopping. "He's not. They've never heard of him before."

Emily nodded and turned to look over her shoulder. "Listen, Han, maybe it's for the best. Maybe…" she broke off and gave me a hug. It surprised me, but then Chris hugged me too. I smiled. (Don't worry – there's no way Chris would fancy me or there's no chance of me going after him. He only goes for boys, if you catch my drift.)

"So," I broke in, not wanting to carry on with this conversation, "are we alright for _Brunel_ tonight?" I asked, flashing a smile. Emily screwed up her face. This time, it was me who gave her a hug. She wasn't allowed out often, especially to nightclubs. Sure, _Brunel_ was one of the only clubs that had an under 18s night, but I don't think her dad approved. She worked for a chip shop over at Liden, a family business, and she was never allowed out. Her parents were tight.

"Sorry, Em," I told her. Emily nodded. She's quite short, with black hair that goes down to her shoulders. She's Chinese and wears glasses that make her brown eyes look bigger – making her look like a cute little cat. She loves _Hello Kitty_; it's been her favourite ever since she was little. Chris has a dark shade of brown hair, blue eyes like mine and is only a few centimetres taller than me. He loves _Charmed_.  
Me? _Butt Ugly Martians_. I've always loved it. And now, all of us were starting to throw ourselves into the world of L. J. Smith – vampires galore. I loved her books, so did Em. We'd both read all of the _Vampire Diaries_, except I had read almost every _Night World _book. Chris had started the _Night World_ and the _Vampire Diaries_ – but he was never a fast reader.

Chris bounced slightly, happily. "Is anyone else coming?" he asked. We'd started walking again, heading in the direction of _McDonalds_. I shook my head. Jade was always with Jemma nowadays, I didn't know where Lauren was half the time and Faye would rather go to _The Furnace_. "Just me and you. Maybe Lil and Katie will be there." I smiled. I wanted to stop talking about going out with Emily there; I didn't want her feeling left out.  
"Come to my house at seven," I told Chris, trying to dismiss the topic. "My dad'll take us." He nodded, picking up on Emily's distress. "Now," I clapped my hands together, flicking my brown hair out of my face. "We're single, we're sexy, agree?" Em smiled, sheepishly. Chris laughed and held my hand. We all nodded.

"Now – let's shop!"

* * *

_Brunel_ stank of smoke. Wouldn't have been the first time. I screwed up my face and pushed open the heavy doors that led into the club. Bodies littered the room, swinging together as people danced – everywhere. Most of the people there were people I knew, people from my school. Most were in my year – year 10 – but there were some older people. The oldest, I think, was eighteen. 

I shuffled in through the entrance with Chris on my right. He'd never been to Brunel before. His eyes opened wide. The bar in the centre of the room was circular and it rotated, so slowly that you didn't really notice until you were standing on it and the next instant you'd be facing another direction. I tugged Chris forward and somehow we managed to find a table quite near to the people from our school hanging out. I could see Lily and Katie laughing. Lily was sat on her boyfriend, Mitchell's, lap. Katie was flirting with Daryl. They both fancied the hell out of each other, but they wouldn't go out. Strange.

None of them noticed us. Some of the popular boys saw us – saw me – and their jaws dropped. I'd only been in here once before. I didn't bother getting dressed up last time, but now it was a different story. I had curled my hair, thrown on the makeup and was wearing a red top with a low cut and shredded straps. I was wearing high heels and my nicest pair of jeans. I suppose I could've turned heads, but not those boys. They were pigs. They were just surprised.

Chris shuffled uncomfortably. "I need the toilet, hang on." And he was up and running to the loos. His face was pale. I didn't know why, until I turned and saw James. The guy he'd fancied last year and who had bullied him out of our tutor group. I scowled and went after my friend. "Chris, wait!"  
I tripped on the step down to the toilets. I would've gone hurtling forward and would've probably broken my nose if I'd landed headfirst. My heel got stuck on the step and I lurched forward yelping as I twisted my ankle. My arms were flailing and I felt my eyes water. It was both of pain and embarrassment. I was falling into darkness.

I felt strong arms grab me and hold me up. Surprised, I looked up and saw… my legs melted and I collapsed. I made it look as if I'd badly hurt my leg. My right shoe slipped off but I didn't notice.  
"Are you okay?" _God_. He was gorgeous. He had brown tussled hair; blue eyes that shone like blue lace agate and a comforting smile that made me turn to jelly. I imagined that this guy shouldn't be in reality, he belonged in one of L. J's books – he was so beautiful that I couldn't find the words to answer him.  
But… almost as if it were a delayed reaction, are gazes locked. And then it happened. And somehow, I was sort of expecting it. My mind exploded. Pink light smothered me and clouded my vision. I couldn't hear the music anymore. I felt overwhelmed by this presence that wasn't my own. A golden light shining around me, holding onto me. Emotions overpowered me. Surprise. Confusion.

_What the hell? _It was him. He was thinking it but I heard it – plain as day as if he'd said it out loud. My body went numb and my eyes opened wide. _Soulmates… _I thought and I didn't know whether he heard it or not. Oh God, this stuff isn't real! It's in the books I read, it's fictional! I… I couldn't find another explanation.  
Memories throbbed between us. Of how I'd read about his happening to Ash and Mare, Quinn and Rashel, James and Poppy, Galen and Keller… _Oh God… you don't read the- _he stopped. The connection broke when someone bumped past the two of us. The cloud receded. It was a miracle the two of us were still standing.

As I came back into reality, I found that it had only occurred over a few seconds, because the music had hardly shifted at all. I stared at the boy in front of me. He was only a year older by the look of it. He was a little taller than me, about an inch, and he was thin. His arms didn't look muscly exactly but I could sense they were strong. Something about the way he was standing… _something_…

"Who are you?" he asked, completely confused. His eyebrows were wide, his mouth was pouted. He looked deflated. "H-Hannah…" I replied, looking around. No one had seemed to notice, maybe except for James over in the corner, staring at the two of us as if we had two heads.  
The boy nodded and ran a hand through his hair. I tried to throw my gaze at anything but him – scared of the reaction coming again.

"_Who _are_ you?" Mary-Lynette said, abandoning any vestige of politeness. "Who are _you_?" he said, in just about exactly the same tone. They both glared._

I was suddenly reminded of the conversation in _Daughters of Darkness_, between Ash and Mare. It wasn't a friendly picture, no matter how much I loved vampires now. It hit close to home.

"You?" I asked, feeling uneasy. I'd never talked to a boy like this before, especially one I'd never met before. He smiled, slightly.

_He smiled. A smile that shed rainbows. _Quinn. _The Chosen_, book five. I had to get these images out of my head, but it was impossible. Every part of him screamed at me – _vampire_.

"Fran," he replied, grimacing. He dropped his hand and looked me up and down, biting his bottom lip. "So… you read L. J, huh?" he asked. I nodded. "_Night World_?" I nodded again. He bowed his head and grinned.  
"Who's your favourite? Quinn?"  
My eyebrows shot up. "How do you know?"  
Fran smiled. "It's what they all say,"  
"Who?" I asked, curious. He shrugged and looked away. "It's a kind of thing I like to ask of people who read them. Who they like." His eyes swung to mine and we both flinched as our blue eyes hit each other with the force of an iceberg sinking a ship. I could feel my stomach go.

"Listen, Hannah…" he began, just at the same time I said, "Listen, Fran…" We stared at each other, surprised. _Oh God… Oh _God_, get away from him. Stop this now, please… this is torture… _I kept thinking.  
Fran reached out a hand. I stepped backwards. Don't touch him… _don't_…

"Hannah?" I let out a deep breath. Chris was at my side. I bowed my head lightly and let out a silent laugh. Chris should scare him off.  
Fran didn't move, didn't even look slightly off put. Chris was looking him up and down and with every glance his smile grew wider. Normally, when Chris saw someone he didn't approve of, he'd cough and turn away. Not this time. He nudged me.

"Hi, I'm Fran." Fran held out his hand and Chris took it, immediately. I stiffened and looked at the floor. "I'm Chris," he replied. His voice was so camp; he sounded so much like a girl. Fran didn't seem to notice. He flashed a smile, showing white teeth. My bottom lip quivered.

As if I wasn't there, he began talking to Chris. "So, does Hannah have a boyfriend?" he asked, glancing at me, briefly. Chris' mouth dropped open. His grin broke his face in two. "As a matter of fact, she doesn't." Now Fran looked surprised. He stared at me and I wouldn't let my eyes meet his – not again. "_Really_?"

"I'm thirsty, I'm just going to-"  
"I'll get you a drink," Fran smiled, brushing past me. My hand touched his as he went past and I felt thunder bolts career up and down my body. I felt dizzy and the pink light came back, but only briefly. Fran stopped, composed himself, and went up to the bar.

Chris rounded on me and screwed up his face. "He's gorgeous!" he cried, his eyes dancing in the strobe lighting. I felt as if I were trapped in a black and white movie or, how was it Mare had put it in book 2? Trapped in a world where everyone was a pod person and rising up against you? Making you feel crazy? I wanted my old world back. I wanted it now. I knew how she felt.

Fran came back with three Cokes. He handed the first to me, careful not to touch me, and the next to Chris. "Thanks," I mumbled absently, and looked around. _Oh no_… Lily was walking over, waving a hand.  
"Hannah!" she called. I gave Fran a quick look and then shuffled over to her. "Who's that guy?" she whispered, pointing to Fran, who was deep in conversation with Chris. "Fran," I replied. "He's, well, uh…"  
"He's _fit_, that's what he is." Lily smiled. "You're so lucky!" she looked over her shoulders. "But I've got Mitchell, so I can't complain." Smile. "I saw him catch you when you fell. He's…"  
"A gentleman?"  
"Something like that, yeah." Lily nodded. She gave the boy behind me one last glance. Smile. "The others are quite surprised, actually. I mean, you look so… so…"

It was my turn to smile. I tossed my hair over my shoulder. "So different?" Lily nodded and grinned. She pulled me into a hug. "After all that stuff with Andy… I never thought," she paused and then whispered in my ear, "Go for it, Hannah. That guy obviously likes you and, well… _I_ would've two months ago," she winked and scurried off back to her group of friends. Lily – another pod person.

I turned and almost screamed. Fran was right behind me. I looked over his shoulder. "Where's Chris?" I asked. He bit his bottom lip and looked away. "He… uh, went home," he replied. My jaw dropped. "His mum came to collect him early," I searched his eyes, figured it was true and scowled. "I…" he was continuing. "I said I'd take you home, if that's okay with you," he told me.

_Oh great. No wonder Chris went quietly_. I thought sarcastically. I shrugged. "I'm staying till ten thirty. I can't believe Chris left, we've only been here ten minutes!" Fran shrugged and dug his hands in his pockets.  
"Are you fifteen?" he asked, looking me up and down. I nodded, waving a hand as if to say 'whatever'. He sighed and followed me as I led him over to a table. It was one of those sheltered into a little alcove, almost looking like a carriage in a train. We ducked our heads and sat inside, Fran opposite me. The seats were leather, the table a dark red. There was a pole by the entrance and I felt sick wondering what it was for.

"I'm sixteen," he told me, looking down. I stared up at him, realised he was carrying on with the conversation, and reluctantly sat back. The leather was cold against my bare back. I suddenly thought a wild idea – that he was going to tell me something really, _really_ secret. For the life of me, I couldn't think what.

"So. You've read _The Night World_." I didn't know whether he was actually talking to me or himself. "Well, this should be easy…" he let out a deep breath and looked up at me. "You, uh, know about Circle Daybreak – right?" he faltered slightly, not sure whether he should tell me or not. I shrugged. "Yep,"

He looked away again but he leant closer over the table. "You know about the Night World and all of the… the _soulmates_… and," he paused when he'd said 'soulmates'. It made me turn cold inside. "What would you say if I told you the books were all true?" his eyes bore into mine and this time neither of us looked away. A path, a link of communication, was opening up before us. That was when I saw his teeth. They dented his bottom lip, making imprints in them lightly. He smiled slightly and then they disappeared.

I was plastered to the chair, dumbfounded. What was there to say? "I'm… well, I don't know how to explain this. I'm,"  
"Lamia," I finished for him, even though I knew that wasn't what he was going to say. "Huh? Oh, oh, yeah – that too." He brushed his hair back again and my body shivered. "I'm Ash's _other_ cousin – he's got a lot of cousins, you know." It was an attempt to lighten the conversation. It didn't work. "I'm not related to Thea or Blaise, but I am James and…"

"Shut up," I whispered, bowing my head. Fran's head shot up. He was genuinely surprised. "Please, just, don't…" tears were forming in my eyes. They didn't _exist_ – no matter how much I wished they did, how millions of other people wished… they just weren't!  
He grabbed my hand and I was forced to look at him again. He was trying to make me understand, and he thought by raising his voice it would sink in. "Listen, Hannah. I'm a Daybreaker, okay? And I think…"  
"Stop it!" we were both shouting now, trying to make the other understand. "Stop it, please!"  
"I think you're my soulmate!" he cried. For a terrifying instant I thought he'd pull the table up out of the ground and throw it. People were running towards us now. I guess it might have sounded like he was attacking me or something. I stood up and ran. "Hannah! Hannah _wait_!" he broke into a run after me. Instead of reaching for me, his arm struck something else.

Daryl held onto him, pushing him back. Mitchell grabbed his other arm. They were both furious. Mitchell and I did our school's version of _Pop Idol_ together a few months before. We weren't friends exactly, but he was always nice to me. Daryl was my ex-boyfriend. "Leave her alone you…" Daryl cursed, but then Fran lashed out at them, furious. His face was pink and I could see his teeth lengthening.

"If you knew me -" he roared, flinging them aside. Mitchell careered backward but Daryl kept a firm grip on his right arm. I was stepping backwards, Katie and Lily trying to comfort me. "If you knew what I could do!" Fran screamed. He dropped to the floor. Daryl let out a gasp of surprise as his hand caught alight with a blue flame. Katie ran forward and started to bat it out. He was backing away from Fran and I saw… _I saw his arm erupt in blue fire_.

Oh. My. God. His hair was on end, his eyes were black – all pupil. He was sneering and suddenly both arms were blue, flames licking the air. Mitchell crawled backwards, eyes wide. Fran was walking towards me. There were two people that he reminded me of. Liz Sherman – _Hellboy_. Delos Redfern – _The Night World_.

Suddenly, as quickly as the blue fire had come, he collapsed to the floor. His arms were bleeding where Daryl and Mitchell had grabbed him. I looked up. The seats had wooden frames. They'd slammed his head against it when pushing him back. His brown hair was matted and tangled where the blood had seeped into it.  
Oh my God, he's a Wild Power. I thought, manically. But why: _One from the twilight to be one with the dark? _What did it mean? Why was it so significant to him?

His chest rose as he took a breath. His eyes were shut. I stepped towards Fran, cautiously, and dropped down beside him. Mitchell was holding Lily, Katie staring at Daryl's blackened hand. I ruffled Fran's hair and lifted him up. He was limp in my arms and I felt strong for once. Able to lift him, I pulled him up so he was level with me, his feet snagging on the floor. His head flopped forward. He was frowning.

A mobile rung somewhere in one of his pockets. I scowled as I dug my hand into his jeans pockets and withdrew the mobile that I had wanted for my birthday. The menu had a picture up – a black haired boy with dark eyes. He was grinning and had his arm around a girl with black hair and green eyes. _No_… I thought, but yes. The name beneath the picture said: _Quinn_.  
Without even thinking I pressed the icon of the green phone, accepting the call, and put the phone to my ear. My voice was a little shaky, but I managed to choke out a 'hello'.

"Who's this?" Oh my God. I trembled with fear and anxiety. I was talking to _Quinn_ on the phone – the _real_ John Quinn. "Uh, th-this is H-Hannah, I-"  
"Hannah?" his voice was one of disbelief. God, now he thinks you're Hannah Snow! Tell him! "N-Not Hannah S-Snow, I…"  
"Where's Fran?" his voice was cold and it made my body freeze up.  
"H-He's collapsed. He, uh, had an accident with the Blue Fire and…"

For a moment there was silence. "Blue Fire?" Quinn repeated, this time _he_ was struggling to keep _his_ voice level. "B-But… F-Fran isn't a, wait." He paused. "Who are you? How did you get Fran's mobile?"  
I was running out of things to say. I was starting to regret picking up the phone. Oh God, if the Daybreakers don't know they have the fourth Wild Power…

Fran's eyes flickered and he sat still for a while until his eyes shot open and he stared up at me. I saw him, took a deep breath and handed the phone over. Fran shook his head, getting the dizzy feeling out of his mind I suppose, and stood up. "Quinn?"  
"Oh, Hannah? She's…" he trailed off, gave me a quick look and said, "She's my soulmate," instead of hearing the mumbling of someone on the other end of the line, it was completely silent. It took me a while to realise why I could hear so perfectly. The music had stopped; otherwise I'd have never heard a damn thing. When you're in a club, you forget how loud you're talking.

The DJ was running over. Fran dropped the phone into his pocket and looked at me, solemnly. "He hung up," he shrugged. Suddenly, he looked around at all the people and his face went pale. "Oh Goddess!" he groaned, bowing his head. About a hundred pairs of eyes were watching us.


	2. Crash and Burn

"You don't remember a thing," Fran whispered and Daryl slumped forward, unconscious. The whole room had been thrown into silence, bodies littering the floor. I'd expected Fran to go from person to person, eliminating their memories – but… I stood there, shaking in fear and disbelief. The only people he'd had to wipe were the people around me – which included Lily, Katie, Mitchell and Daryl. It was as if his telepathic powers were so strong that he could send out something like sonar and people would fall to his wishes. That was what had happened. The whole top floor of Brunel was asleep, knocked out from one thought from one very broody guy.

Fran's gaze swept over me and he sighed. "Hannah…" it was a lost cause, he could see the tears in my eyes. Finally, he only managed to say, "Don't be afraid of me," It wasn't enough to make me feel it. I know I should've, but I was scared. Not of him but _for_ him. What must it be like to be you? To watch what you say? To think that everyone's talking about you and your secret? To be paranoid? _To be a Wild Power_, I thought dizzily.

He stood up, brushing his brown hair out of his eyes. His blue eyes flashed the same colour as cyan as they caught the light. They twinkled like the stars at night as they're gaze locked mine and I was absorbed, drowning in the essence of 'Fran'. He opened his mouth but I couldn't hear him speak anymore. I briefly realised that when he stood up to his full height, instead of bending to catch me, my eyes were facing his lips.

I shivered. Fran stopped talking and gazed down at me, worriedly. "Hannah? Are you cold?" I could hear _that_ for some strange reason. My senses were knocked back into reality and I looked up at him before nodding shyly. He nodded and then put an arm around my shoulder.  
"We'd better leave before everyone starts to wake up," he smiled, encouragingly and held me close. "Let's get outside and go someplace safe,"

"Fran…" I opened my mouth to tell him to take me home but I knew that was stupid. I couldn't live without him now that he was in my life; I felt something thrumming between us – like an invisible cord. He knew I wouldn't stop him leading me to wherever it was he was taking me, and I didn't say anything whilst we walked out of the club, seeming pretty casual considering what had just happened.

It was hard enough to realise it was true and that he really _was_ a Daybreaker. Not just a Daybreaker, a lamia. And what's more the fourth Wild Power. A purple stairway led down to the exit of the club. You couldn't hear anything down there when I'd arrived, so the bouncers wouldn't be suspicious. They nodded at us as we left and I flashed a dazzling smile back. Fran just looked at me, curious.

I was lifted out of my down mood and thought I might as well enjoy the time I had with my soulmate. When we'd cleared the corner, I turned to Fran and rested my head on his shoulder. He stared at me as if I had three-heads but I knew so much about him already. Because the connection between us… the invisible cord… it was literally whispering secrets about Fran to me. It told me what sort of person he was and who he'd always thought he'd been, and the scary thing was – he didn't even know it was happening. _And I bet it's doing exactly the same thing to me,_ I mentally groaned, but I didn't shift my happiness.

As soon as we were outside, I didn't feel cold – because it was a warm summer's night. The streets were deserted and the only sound was the occasional thrum of a joyride down the hill. "Where are we going?" I asked, sighing. Fran looked at me and I realised we were in some sort of bubble – making us the only two in the world that mattered. That someone was directing us. Like puppets on a stage. Guiding us to complete the scene. And we both knew where it was headed.

"My place." I stared at him and then, stammering, he tried again. "I – I mean, uh, where I'm staying." _Close, but no cigar, buddy. _I thought, sourly. "And where are you staying?" I asked, smirking. Fran cleared his throat and relaxed his arm around my shoulders. I could feel how uncomfortable he was. I wasn't thrown off.

"Walcot Road. It's not far from –" he didn't finished. I was staring at him with wide-eyes, both in astonishment and mock disbelief. "_What_?" he asked. I laughed, maniacally, throwing my head back so my hair dangled around my shoulders. "You don't live along Walcot Road!"  
"No, I don't – I said that, okay?" he said, patiently. "I told you that I'm just staying there. It's my uncle's house but I'm sort of house-sitting," he shrugged. "Why is it so hard to believe?"  
I looked down at my feet and immediately realised he was taking my way home. It was a wonder we'd never met before. "Because I only live around the corner," I smiled faintly whilst my heart gave a dull thump.

We were walking slow, just making ordinary conversation. We were rounding Walcot Road when I saw the cars parked in the centre of the street. Fran stopped abruptly when he saw them. Black sedans and a limo. By the way he was staring, I could tell they were parked outside his house.

"Fran?" I shook his arm and all I got back from him was tightened muscles and a grim expression. He removed his arm from my shoulder and scowled. "We can't go there tonight," he told me. I simply just stared, open mouthed at him. "But why not?" I hissed. I didn't know why I was getting so worked up. _If the cars belonged to Circle Daybreak_…

"I mean it, Han, we can't." he pointed to the bonnet of the cars and I could just make out a very small emblem marked on the top of each of them. It was a black rose. _The Night World_. I gasped and then started tugging on his arm, trying to reassure him (but most of all – myself). "They wouldn't know! Fran, they couldn't-"

At that instant, a boy about nineteen came skulking out of a house in the centre of the street. He had a grimy face and limp, blond hair – like surfers get when they've been in the sea too long. He was quite tall, with a savage way of walking and a stare that made your insides shrivel. Fran pushed me into the shadows and clamped his hand around my mouth. _It's a werewolf, _he told me. _Don't speak – try and hold your breath. _

I'd never been good at holding my breath, but I tried desperately. Fran and I peered around the wall we'd sheltered behind and watched. The 'wolf clambered into one of the cars and then it drove off. Soon, all the cars followed suit until the limo was the only one left. This was the only car that didn't have the rose emblem on it.

The number plate read: **HREDFER** but it didn't click until I saw the design of the fern on the bonnet. And then, Fran sucked in a breath as a tall, flat-muscled redhead swung out of the passenger side. I couldn't see his face from this distance but as soon as I saw his figure my body tensed up. _Hunter Redfern_. I didn't know how I knew but I did and I was terrified from the moment he walked up the path, to the moment he came out of the house, nodding in the direction of the car.

Fran watched with wide eyes that glistened in the lamplight, shining amber above us. His pupils were so small; his eyes practically seemed to have lost the irises too. A person swung out from the back seat, holding a stout gun in their arms. My eyebrows flew up. It wasn't like anything I'd ever seen. It was chrome and short, with a thick trigger and a harpoon sort of tip. It was hollow, like an exhaust pipe, and the tip of the arrowhead had the small hole that was the tunnel smack-bang in the middle. I could see it, but I wondered with my subconscious mind how I could notice a detail like that from this distance.

The figure was a girl, I could tell by the way her hips swayed. She had oily black hair that ran down her back like a cloak. "I'm not getting caught in a fire again, father." The girl growled and instinctively I knew she was Lily. And a fire – what other fire was there other than Nyala's idea to set the house aflame in _The Chosen_?

Hunter laughed. "The entire house is soaked in gasoline, just shoot through the window," he grinned, before clambering back into the car. Fran's mouth was hanging open and he was shaking his head. I could feel the distance between us now – the soulmate cord so thin that I couldn't feel it underneath all my panic.

"You're positive he's the Wild Power?" she called over her shoulder, aiming the gun at the front window. I wondered, for a moment, what time it was and whether they could get away with doing something like this when people might be awake. Fran was thinking the same, I could tell. But no one came outside and maybe that was good. Maybe if they did go outside then they would be killed…

Lily tossed her head back and laughed, pulling the trigger on the gun. I was wrong from the beginning, because it wasn't just a gun – it was a flamethrower. And everything happened so fast after that. Like slow motion. The tentacle of fire came out as a thin line and then exploded into a mass of billowing flames, roaring and bursting through the window of the house. It engulfed everything as it went, I could hear by the sound of the fire growling and pounding into anything in its path.

Lily kept her finger on the trigger and soon the frame surrounding the window was on fire and it reminded me of the circus. As if Lily was a lion and was going to perform the trick of jumping through the ring of fire. Hunter was cheering on from the sidelines, cracking his whip. The ringleader.

Fran had tears in his eyes by the time Lily had stopped firing. She cocked her head on one side, watching admiringly, before returning to the limo. As the sleek vehicle pulled away, Fran watched the house burn and rumble with constant fire. It was a miracle that the whole street didn't wake up. After a while, the noise turned to a drone that was almost a lullaby and the two of us slumped down onto the pavement, watching. It was beautiful, despite the consequences.

I knew that Fran's things were in there and I felt terrible, but it was like watching a firework display. It trapped my attention and refused to give it back.

Fran bowed his head and cradled it in his hands. "I don't understand how he could've found out –" then he stopped, jerked his head up and groaned. "The bouncers," he concluded. I simply shuffled my feet and held my knees to my chest. "The bouncers were Night People. If they _were_ then they could've heard the music stop – they could've…" he spun off and simply took a deep breath.

Then he turned to me and stood up. "Let's go,"  
"But I have to get home," I finally managed to blurt out. Fran looked hurt and I regretted it instantly. Because he had no home to go to now – not in Swindon, anyway. "Hannah, please…"

"I could call my parents and say I'm sleeping round a friend's," I replied immediately, already getting my phone out of my pocket. I refused to carry my money and phone in handbags when I went to _Brunel_ – I didn't want to risk it getting stolen.

Fran smiled and nodded.

* * *

"Mum? I'm staying over at Lily's tonight-" _God_, the word Lily left a bitter taste in my mouth after the evening's events and it was hard for me to force the image of my friend into mind - I was so focused on the _Redfern_ Lily and not the _Raynor_ Lily, "She's inviting some girls… Yeah, I know it's short notice but… Well, put it this way, Lily knows people Mum – I could be popular... Well, Katie's going and so is Leighanne… Oh _you_ know who Leighanne is! Look, Mum do you want me to have a social life or –" I stopped when I saw Fran sniggering. I winked and then started wrapping up the conversation. "Yep, uh huh, okay Mum. Thanks! Bye!"

I put the phone down and just swung it back in my pocket. "Will she check up on you?" Fran asked, watching me intently. I waved a hand. "Nah, she trusts me," then I looked up at him. "Now where?" I asked, motioning my head back so it signified the burning skeleton of the house. Fran grimaced and held out his hand.  
"Do you trust me?" he asked, voice quiet and mysterious. I raised an eyebrow and folded my arms. "Why?"  
"Do you trust me?" he repeated, not removing his hand. For an instant, our eyes locked. "Y-e-s," I replied, confused. I took Fran's hand and he smiled, a secret smile.

"Then let's go," he whispered in my ear.


	3. Three's A Crowd

I blinked and then my eyes flew open completely. Sunlight streamed through the blinds and left stripes across the bed linen. Shocked, I looked down at myself. I was wearing the same outfit as last night, if not a little creased. But Fran…  
He was shirtless, fat asleep, wearing just his jeans. He looked so peaceful lying there and I didn't want to wake him. It took me a while to realise where I was and then I frowned. The memories came flooding back.

Arriving in this place too tired to take into account how nice it was. Collapsing on the bed, drifting into sleep. Feeling Fran drop down beside me on the bed. Fran saying something, but I was already asleep and couldn't hear. Feeling him brush my hair out of my face, kiss me on the forehead and lay there awhile, watching me…

"Where are we?" I asked, sitting up. Fran's eyes snapped open, wide-awake. He looked around and then at me and then shook his head. "I dozed off," he whined, holding a hand up to his face. I grimaced and then straightened some lines on my top out.  
Then as if it had sunken in, he grinned. "Oh, where are we?" he gestured around and shrugged. "It's a Circle Daybreak outpost. It wasn't guarded because Swindon was one of those towns the Night World left alone. But now…" he looked down at himself, not even slightly embarrassed. "Now they know where the fourth Wild Power is," he finished.

"I just hope they don't know about you," he looked up at me, his expression sober. I nodded and swung out of the bed. "Hannah, I know we don't know much about each other. I know we only met last night – which was pure coincidence, but we _are_ soulmates. We're meant to have an undying love for each other," we both grinned at that, then diverted our gazes. "And no matter how I try to disagree with it – I _am_ in love with you,"

"And _I_ love _you_." I replied, deadly serious. I put feeling behind it and the cord sung between us. Whistling beautifully like a flute playing a melody. Because we were opening ourselves up to each other. And in another second I was going to fall into his arms… unless he grabbed me himself…  
"Fran," I held out my hand.  
"Hannah," he touched it and sparks flew, but they weren't painful. They sent warm shivers up and down my spine. My vision was smothered with pink as if I was looking through tinted glasses. I felt dizzy and happy as we intertwined our fingers.  
And we were rushing into each other's arms when the doorbell rang downstairs. Our little world collapsed. Fran stopped quicker than I did and I ran into his side. I stared around, dumbfounded and he cursed.

"I have to get the door," he scowled, rubbing my arm where I'd bumped into him. I clutched at his arm. "What if it's Hunter?" I muttered, keeping quiet so the visitor didn't hear. Fran shook his head, firmly. "If you remember correctly, this place is guarded by a spell. Only Daybreaker's can see it and come in." he winked and headed out of the door, down the stairs.

But before he got to the door, I heard the knocking get fierce and then the door was kicked in. "Fran! Fran!" Two sets of voices screaming. Friends or family. They'd probably found out about the house. "Fran, are you okay? We heard about the fire… Thierry said you wasn't inside – he had Thea trying to search for your spirit and…" Fran snorted and I could hear him lead the people upstairs – two boys. I recognised one voice. It was Quinn – after all, I'd spoken to him on the phone.

Fran emerged at the top of the stairs, rolled his eyes, and then lead his friends into the room. The first, Quinn, had black hair that ran down to his ears. You could hardly see his dark eyes between the strands.  
The boy behind had spiky blond hair that was gelled into a Mohawk. His eyes were purple. For some reason I expected them to change. As soon as the boy saw me, they changed green. _Ash. _

"Quinn. Ash. This is Hannah, my soulmate," Fran introduced them to me and then did the opposite. "Hannah, this is Quinn and Ash."  
"Hi," I said, meekly. Quinn nodded at me and Ash simply stared. "_You_ have a soulmate?" he turned to Fran and shook his head in shock.

Quinn seemed amused. "Another 'Hannah' soulmate," he stated. Fran grinned and came to sit by me. Then Quinn grew serious again. "Fran – what was all this about the accident last night. One minute you're out clubbing, the next your new found soulmate is answering your phone and telling me you have Blue Fire…"

"What do you mean Blue Fire?" Ash broke in, mouth in an 'o' shape. Fran sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Ash was looking between us three, from Quinn, to me, to Fran, then back again. "What do you mean Blue Fire?" he repeated. Quinn sneered.

"That's what I want your dear cousin to tell me," he smiled stiffly. Then he moved forward and was kneeling in front of Fran. "Are you the fourth Wild Power, Fran?" he asked, softly, and it seemed as if he was talking to a kid.  
Ash was shaking his head. "I don't believe this," he muttered almost to himself, pacing the room, but Fran was nodding slowly and then Ash started gurgling.

"How long have you known?" Quinn went on. Fran shrugged and looked up, almost flinching as he met Quinn's eyes. Quinn had got used to doing his glacier stare for so long that it was hard to turn it on and off. He regretted it instantly.  
Fran shrugged and then started counting off on his fingers. "I think it was since my sixteenth birthday," Then he nodded. "Yeah, that was it."

Quinn turned to look at Ash, raising his eyebrows – meaning 'well, well'. Ash looked as if he were going to be sick - he was so pale. Quinn stood up and stood over by Ash. "Listen, Fran, we have to tell the others-"  
"No fuss, Quinn." Fran snapped and I saw that he looked so handsome when he got angry. "I don't want any special treatment."

"B-B-But the war, Fran." Ash said, stammering. Fran turned his gaze to his cousin and waved a hand. "I can feel the war coming, Ash, but it won't be for some time. I want to be alone." Then he looked at me, opened his mouth and then squeezed my hand. "Uh, I mean I want _us_ to be alone. Now that we've found each other."

Quinn shook his head. "Then you're a fool, Fran Marino. Don't try telling me that the Night World don't know about you – why else would they burn your house down?"

Then, something twigged, and I stared at Fran. "How did Hunter know where you lived?" I asked.  
Quinn flinched and turned around, to face the door. Ash was brought to attention and adopted my expression, glaring at Fran accusingly. My soulmate shuddered and looked at his feet. "A good guess?"

"Were you going to say something like that?" I asked tightly, quoting Matt from the _Vampire Diaries_. Fran grimaced and shook his head.  
"Quinn-" he looked up at the dark-haired boy, who simply shrugged in reply, and then Fran looked at me with fathomless eyes. They weren't blue –they were silver. I felt a cold chill run down my spine.

"Hannah-"  
"Tell her, damn it – get it over with!" Quinn snapped, storming out of the room. Ash looked around. "Why doesn't anyone tell meanything? Look, if you're gonna be secretive I might as well get back to Mare." He turned to go but then Quinn appeared back in the doorway and jammed his hand against the door, furious.

"You're not leaving," he hissed. Ash took a shocked step backwards and then I looked at Fran in horror. His eyes were filling with tears. "Hunter was using me to…"

I sucked in a breath and looked down at my lap. This was deep – this was above Circle Daybreak. I looked back up at him and fought to keep a calm expression. Fran's lower lip wobbled and he looked as if he hated himself. "The prophecy goes that the fourth Wild Power shares their soulmate with…"  
He paused and then looked up at Quinn, frightened. "I don't want to tell her!" he stood up. "She's my soulmate, Quinn – he isn't having-"

"Shut up and sit down!" Quinn demanded. I expected Fran to buckle and fall down again, but he didn't. He roared. "NO! I'm one of the most important people in the world now – ME! And Hannah is not going with _him_,"

I was shaking. Quinn shook his head in exasperation. "Then you've sealed the end of the world," he cursed, relaxing his grip on the doorframe. Ash was trembling and he came and took a shaky step over towards the futon we were on. He'd given up on asking questions, he listened and prayed something would give them away.

Fran seemed to come to his senses and then he clenched his fists. "I never thought I'd find her before the war," he moaned, dropping down onto the bed. I shifted away from him, afraid.

Taking a deep breath, he buried his head in his lap and covered his head with his arms. His voice was muffled when he talked and it took me a while to realise what he was saying. "The fourth Wild Power shares their soulmate with the person who shall lead the darkness." He gulped down a breath of air. "It was dug up by Hunter around December. L.J's only just printing book ten, and she had to make up the fourth Wild Power and the battle because no one knew who it was-"

Ash shook his head. Fran continued. "Hunter came to see me on my birthday. He said that I was the fourth Wild Power and I shouldn't waste my time being a damned Daybreaker. He tried to get me to give him information about the others but I didn't. He told me the prophecy and…"  
He stopped, and I could see him squirm. "He made a deal with me. He said that if I found my soulmate, he'd stop the war." Ash and I let out a gasp but then Quinn shot us glances that made us shut up. "But," Fran continued, "only if…"

"Hannah, I'm so sorry," Fran whispered. I opened my mouth to say something – anything, but my throat was dry and I couldn't make a sound. "I have to hand you over to Hunter. He promised he'd back down if I did. I don't know why he would do that but…"

I couldn't hear any more. I blacked out and I was only mildly aware that it was Ash who caught me before I fell forward. Fran gasped. Then, silence.


End file.
